Grunt Work

The Abyss

Everyone sat together, alone, hunched over their drinks. Not even drinking, just staring at their glasses. Even the in-house light jazz band was quiet, just quietly playing with their instruments. One of them let out a long, sad toot of their trombone in a half hearted attempt at starting up a song, but no one joined in.

I'd never seen The Abyss, the base's late night drinks establishment, so quiet. Usually it was a riot. Laughter, yelling, clinking glasses, fights in the bear pit, orgies in the BDSM dungeon, murder mystery games in the gaming dungeon. Nothing today.

Forty one people died when the airship got destroyed. Another three bodies from the first wave were recovered - none I recognised - though the older man who had taken a disliking towards me before the briefing was found alive. Well, sort of alive. He's in a coma. Fractured legs and a pretty nasty bang to the head. Avery, who came in on the same recruitment drive as I did, was still missing, as were the rest. We'd taken quite a beating in going up against the Thunderbird. It was no wonder everyone was sad.

I made my way to the bar and a bright green drink appeared before I could order anything. I was trying to cut down on absinthe - the faeries were always mean to me - but I drank it all the same, shuddering at the taste of licorice. Another full glass appeared when I put my empty one down, and this I just cradled as I looked around the room. There was a table nearby that had an empty chair and three glum looking grunts.

'Can I join you?' I asked them, wincing as my voice sounded too loudly in the quiet.

None of them replied, but one of them kicked the empty chair out. I took my place at the table. The woman next to me started making a noise like hiccuping, and I wondered if she was having a problem with her drink until she brushed back her curly blond hair and saw that she was crying.

'There, there, luv,' said the big guy next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. 'It was a quick way to go. He wouldn't have felt a thing.'

'What am I going to tell the kids,' she sobbed, then blew her nose. 'I'm going to have to quit, too. I can't afford a nanny to look after them while I'm away working.'

'Nah, no need for that,' said the big guy. 'Bring them to the base. Me and the lads'll look after them when you're on shift, Ellie.'

'I can't ask you to do that, Jeff,' she Ellie, shaking her head.

'Who's asking?' he said, spreading his arms wide. 'I'm offering. It'll be great to see the kids again. How old's Layla now? Must been walking and talking now.'

'Oh she is!' tEllie beamed. 'Right little chatterbox, she is. Can't get her to shut up, some times,' she stopped, her smile cracking, and she slumped over her drink again, her shoulders rocking as she began crying. 'How can I tell her her dada's not coming back?'

Jeff looked at me and the other guy for help, but I couldn't think of what to say. I just put my hand on her shoulder. It was the only thing I could think to do.

'Wouldn't have been so bad if the Kaptain had put up a better fight,' the other man grumbled.

'Todd, less of that,' Jeff warned. 'Keep your voice down.'

'The Kaptain's henchlings don't come down here,' Todd crossed his arms and jutted out his chin. I could see his arms tense, like her was working his fists. 'And if they did, I'd give 'em a piece of my mind.'

'Todd,' Jeff said again, his gravelly voice going down into a growl. 'Don't.'

'I'm just saying,' said Todd, paying no attention, 'he baited Turdbird into coming, but just left the airship undefended.'

'It's hard to defend against that, to be fair,' I put in.

'Could have got the airship out,' said Todd angrily, glaring at me. 'Could have got his squid flunky to jump in sooner. Instead she just sat there, doing nothing.'

I sat there, said nothing.

'See? Even you agree with that,' Todd stood and addressed the room. 'We're out here, risking our lives, living paycheque to paycheque, while them higher up the food chain get to sit back and watch.'

'We did our job and they did theirs,' Jeff spoke up. 'You knew the plan. And the Kaptain did protect us as we retreated. You saw that.'

'I saw him put on a show - after the airship was took out. After we lost our friends.'

I saw some turn away or hunch further into their drinks, but others, I saw, nodded in agreement. 'That's right,' someone else said.

'Ellie's man would still be alive if they'd just acted sooner. Actually done something. Our friends would still be alive if-'

'If what?' said a voice from the entrance. I looked - we all looked - and saw Winnie standing there.

I stood. We all stood. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Todd had turned as white as a ghost.

'Mr Archer,' said Winnie, her two eyes were on the ground as she delicately picked her route through the tables, her third eye fixed on Todd. It was red, this time. She stopped in front of him, and even though Todd had a good foot on her, she seemed to tower over him. 'I can understand your frustrations, but do not, ever, speak out of turn about your superiors. Is that understood?'

She never raised her voice, but he reacted as if she had, shrivelling up, trying to hide himself from her. 'Yes ma'am.'

'Good,' she looked around the bar. 'That goes for the rest of you. Now, Mr Archer, come with me.'

'No,' he said, his voice barely coming out . 'Please, I'll do anything. Please.'

'No more talking. Come with me,' she turned and walked to the exit, pausing, waiting for Todd to move.

He hadn't moved. 'Please,' he begged again.

'Mr Archer, I suggest you not make me wait.'

He shuddered as he started crying. His feet shuffling as he followed after her, almost as if his feet were dead.

'Very good, Mr Archer,' she said, then turned to me. 'And Ms Tangaroa, the Kaptain would like a status report on the beast. Be sure to get it to him as soon as possible,' and with that she left, Todd in tow.

Every eye turned to me. I felt them like a fire, pinpricks of heat on every inch of my body. Looking around, there were so many angry faces. Jeff, who had been so kindly looking just a moment ago, was closed off. There were others like him, too, just staring at me blankly. But for the most part was just an overwhelming feeling of not being wanted there.

I left, feeling more alone than ever.

Halfway to Mr huggles' pool, I stopped to have a bit of a cry. It's always hard to start a new job, to make new friends, but I felt like I'd just been robbed of the opportunity to even try. The tears were still coming when I left the eighth floor lift and walked up to the rim of Mr Huggles' pool.

Except someone was already there.